Cellular Biomedicine Group Reports Second Quarter and First Half 2015 Financial Results and Business Highlights


SHANGHAI, China and PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cellular Biomedicine Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CBMG) ("CBMG" or the "Company"), a biomedicine firm engaged in the development of effective stem cell therapies for degenerative diseases and immunotherapies for cancer, today reported financial results and business highlights for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2015.

"I am pleased with our second quarter progress in reaching certain planned milestones and in strengthening both our business and technological advantages," said Dr. William (Wei) Cao, Chief Executive Officer of Cellular Biomedicine Group. "In addition to our international-standard Shanghai GMP facility passing its 4th consecutive China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) inspection, we are expanding our GMP coverage with another 15,000 square feet site in Beijing, our third GMP facility. We are also delighted to have industry veterans Richard Wang Ph.D. join us as Chief Operating Officer, and Yihong Yao, Ph.D., join us as Chief Scientific Officer.  I'm proud of our team achieving several accolades comprised of publication on the use of human adipose-derived progenitor cells (haMPCs) demonstrating efficacy in a rabbit OA model for treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and dissemination of positive Phase I clinical data on the Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) immuno-oncology clinical development programs:

  • CD19 for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-cell ALL); and
  • CD20 for Advanced Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), and;
  • CD30 for Hodgkin's lymphoma.

We have confirmed that the trials are safe and remain optimistic about their potential disease efficacy.  Furthermore, we added the CD40LGVAX cancer vaccine targeting Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) to our portfolio. We believe the Company is well positioned as a leader in degenerative and cancerous therapies to serve the large patient population," concluded Dr. William (Wei) Cao, Chief Executive Officer of Cellular Biomedicine Group. 

"In addition to CBMG's NASDAQ upgrade to the higher tiered Global Markets, I am pleased that we are now part of the broad-market Russell 3000® Index which will increase visibility with institutional investors across key financial markets," commented Tony (Bizuo) Liu, Chief Financial Officer of the Company. "We believe that health care is a universally defensive sector and CBMG is now equipped to deliver on our clinical milestones and to build a world-class biotechnology firm focused on providing solutions that address large unmet global medical needs."

Second Quarter and First Half 2015 Financial Performance

1.  Cash Position: Cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2015 were $23.7 million compared to $14.8 million as of December 31, 2014. Our cash position increased as we had an increase in cash generated from financing activities due to a private placement financing in March 2015 for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $19,600,000 through the sale of 515,786 shares of Common Stock, partially offset by an increase in cash used in operating activities.

2.  Net Cash Used in Operating Activities: Net cash used in operating activities for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2015 was $3.3 million and $5.7 million, respectively, compared to $2.3 million and $4.7 million for the same periods in 2014.

3.  Revenue: Revenues for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2015 were $0.7 million and $1.3 million, respectively, compared to $0.1 million and $0.2 million for the same periods in 2014.

In late 2014, with the acquisition of AG, we started generating revenue from technology services. All the revenue was derived from technology services for the three months ended June 30, 2015, while revenue was solely from sales of A-StromalTM kits during the same period in 2014.

4.  G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2015 were $3.8 million and $6.4 million, respectively, compared to $1.6 million and $3 million for the same periods in 2014. Increased expenses in the three months ended June 30, 2015 was associated with increased corporate activities related to the management and the development of our biomedicine business and was primarily attributed to the below facts:

  • An increase in stock-based compensation expense of $1,172,000, which primarily resulted from the new grants and higher fair value of unvested options after the Company listed on Nasdaq in June 2014 compared with those unvested options as of June 30, 2014;
  • An increase in depreciation and amortization of $180,000, which was mainly attributed to the technology and patents obtained from the acquisition of AG in third quarter 2014;
  • An increase in rental expenses of $144,000, which was mainly attributed to the new lease agreement concluded for the construction of the Beijing GMP; and
  • An increase in legal, accounting and other professional services of $465,000

5.  R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2015 were $1.3 million and $2.8 million respectively, compared to $0.7 million and $1.3 million for the same periods in 2014. Research and development costs increased by approximately $603,000 in the three months ended June 30, 2015 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2014 due primarily to an increase of our immunotherapy research and development team, which resulted in an increase in payroll expenses of $217,000; an increase in stock-based compensation expenses of $284,000 and an increase in rental of $34,000.

6.  Net Loss: Net loss allocable to common stock holders for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2015 was $5 million and $9.3 million respectively, compared to $6.7 million and $7.1 million for the same periods in 2014. Changes in net loss are primarily attributable to changes in operations of our biomedicine segment and the discontinued consulting segment.

During and since the second quarter of 2015, Cellular Biomedicine Group strengthened its position as a leading pure-play biotechnology company by achieving the following milestones and significant events:

Business Highlights

  • Appointment of Richard L. Wang, Ph.D., MBA, PMP as Chief Operating Officer
  • Appointment of Yihong Yao, Ph.D., B.S. as Chief Scientific Officer
  • Appointment of Alan List, M.D. as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board
  • Acquisition of Blackbird Bio Finance and University of South Florida's next generation GVAX vaccine's (CD40LGVAX) related technologies and technical knowledge
  • Selected to be included in the broad-market Russell 3000® Index
  • Publication of the use of human adipose-derived progenitor cells (haMPCs) demonstrating efficacy in a rabbit OA model for treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in peer-reviewed scientific journal "International Journal of Molecular Sciences"

Technology Achievements

  • Received two new certifications from the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) for each of its proprietary cell and tissue preservation media kits
  • Announced positive Phase I Results From CAR-T CD30 Immuno-Oncology Clinical Development Program, demonstrating the trial to be safe, feasible and efficacious

Upcoming Events

In the next twelve months the Company aims to accomplish the following significant milestones:

  • Complete the preclinical GLP safety evaluation studies of haMPC for Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Evaluate the feasibility of sponsoring a Phase I/II clinical study to support the New Drug Application (NDA) for the U.S. CD40LGVAX trial
  • Publish Phase I clinical trial results for CAR-T EGFR-HER1-positive for advanced lung cancer
  • Publish ReJoinTM KOA Phase IIb twelve-month data
  • Obtain approval for pending Patent Cooperation Treaty ("PCT") patents
  • Develop a strategy to prioritize and launch cancer immune cell therapy clinical trials
  • Launch Phase II trials to explore the efficacy and safety of CD19 or CD20 CAR-T mono or combination therapies in chemo refractory/relapsing patients with hematological malignancies
  • Prepare preclinical package to apply for clinical trials of allogeneic haMPC therapy for COPD/Asthma

About Cellular Biomedicine Group

Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. develops proprietary cell therapies for the treatment of certain degenerative and cancerous diseases.  Our developmental stem cell and Immuno-Oncology projects are the result of research and development by scientists and doctors from China and the United States. Our flagship GMP facility in China, consisting of six independent cell production lines, is designed, certified and managed according to U.S. standards.  To learn more about CBMG, please visit: www.cellbiomedgroup.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release relating to plans, strategies, trends, specific activities or investments, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking information is inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors, which include risks inherent in doing business, trends affecting the global economy, including the devaluation of the RMB by China in August 2015 and other risks detailed from time to time in CBMG's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, quarterly reports on form 10-Q, current reports on form 8-K and annual reports on form 10-K. Forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "expects," "plans," "intends," "estimates," "potential," or "continue," or similar terms or the negative of these terms. Although CBMG believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, they cannot guarantee that future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements will be obtained. CBMG does not have any obligation to update these forward-looking statements other than as required by law.

CELLULAR BIOMEDICINE GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(UNAUDITED)
         
    June 30,   December 31,
    2015   2014
         
 Assets      
Cash and cash equivalents  $23,651,084    $14,770,584
Accounts receivable  445,202    141,029
Other receivables  453,477    135,957
Inventory  400,088    372,249
Prepaid expenses  551,589    565,299
Other current assets  --    110,347
Total current assets  25,501,440    16,095,465
         
Investments  14,819,407    6,886,033
Property, plant and equipment, net  1,322,099    1,280,410
Goodwill  7,678,789    7,678,789
Intangibles, net  16,817,661    11,156,676
Long-term prepaid expenses and other assets  915,456    587,729
Total assets  $67,054,852    $43,685,102
         
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity      
         
Liabilities:      
Accounts payable  $106,612    $426,917
Accrued expenses  2,927,200    2,074,384
Taxes payable  640,549    814,288
Advances payable to related party  --     36,254
Other current liabilities  1,543,590    724,479
Total current liabilities  5,217,951    4,076,322
         
Other non-current liabilities  240,448    452,689
Total liabilities  5,458,399    4,529,011
         
       
         
Stockholders' equity:      
         
 Preferred stock, par value $.001, 50,000,000 shares      
 authorized; none issued and outstanding as of      
 June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively  --     -- 
         
 Common stock, par value $.001, 300,000,000 shares authorized;      
 11,610,665 and 10,990,335 issued and outstanding      
 as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively  11,611    10,990
Additional paid in capital  99,095,398    75,467,316
 Accumulated deficit  (47,204,236)    (37,890,590)
 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)  9,693,680    1,568,375
Total stockholders' equity  61,596,453    39,156,091
         
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity  $67,054,852    $43,685,102
 
CELLULAR BIOMEDICINE GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)
         
    For the Six Months Ended
    June 30,
    2015   2014
     
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:        
 Net loss    $(9,313,646)    $(7,120,794)
 Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:        
Depreciation and amortization    928,531    437,015
Loss on disposal of assets    --     10,358
Stock based compensation expense    3,618,050    612,622
Amortisation of deferred stock compensation    --     63,518
Other than temporary impairment on investments    123,428    -- 
Realized losses from sale of investments    5,178    5,913
Value of stock received for services    --     (1,610,000)
Impairment of goodwill    --     3,299,566
 Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Accounts receivable    (304,173)    (13,419)
Other receivables    (222,716)    15,452
Inventory    (27,839)    (37,371)
Prepaid expenses    (8,427)    (245,901)
Other current assets    110,347    -- 
Investments    --     7,150
Long-term prepaid expenses and other assets    (73,031)    (498,888)
Accounts payable    (320,305)    (104,794)
Accrued expenses    112,026    567,889
Advance payable to related party    (30,216)    -- 
Other current liabilities    88,991    (110,980)
Taxes payable    (173,739)    -- 
Other non-current liabilities    (212,265)    -- 
Net cash used in operating activities    (5,699,806)    (4,722,664)
         
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:        
Proceed from sale of investments, net of transaction costs    1,480    -- 
Purchases of intangible assets    (4,385,940)    -- 
Purchases of property, plant and equipment    (224,826)    (77,537)
 Net cash used in investing activities    (4,609,286)    (77,537)
         
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:        
Net proceeds from the issuance of common stock    18,964,849    11,221,956
Proceeds from exercise of stock options    234,599    -- 
Repayment of advance from affiliate    --     (33,528)
 Net cash provided by financing activities    19,199,448    11,188,428
         
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH    (9,856)    79
         
INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS    8,880,500    6,388,306
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD    14,770,584    7,175,215
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD    $23,651,084    $13,563,521
         
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION        
         
Cash paid for income taxes    $(226,855)    $--
         
Non-cash investing activities        
Acquisition of intangible assets through issuance of the Company's stock    $1,096,399    $--
         
CELLULAR BIOMEDICINE GROUP, INC.        
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS        
(UNAUDITED)        
                 
    For the Three Months Ended   For the Six Months Ended
    June 30,   June 30,
    2015   2014   2015   2014
                 
Net sales and revenue    $656,959    $118,069    $1,260,349    $179,120
                 
Operating expenses:                
Cost of sales    398,229    51,953    892,291    92,553
General and administrative    3,768,535    1,642,758    6,448,772    2,954,761
Selling and marketing    161,219    44,136    310,241    65,495
Research and development    1,322,692    719,388    2,778,112    1,288,044
Impairment of investments    --     --     123,428    -- 
 Total operating expenses    5,650,675    2,458,235    10,552,844    4,400,853
Operating loss    (4,993,716)    (2,340,166)    (9,292,495)    (4,221,733)
                 
Other income (expense):                
Interest income    5,920    341    21,031    565
Other income (expense)    13,523    74,480    10,820    94,617
 Total other income    19,443    74,821    31,851    95,182
Loss from continuing operations before taxes    (4,974,273)    (2,265,345)    (9,260,644)    (4,126,551)
                 
Income taxes provision    (52,202)    --     (53,002)    -- 
                 
Loss from continuing operations    (5,026,475)    (2,265,345)    (9,313,646)    (4,126,551)
                 
Loss on discontinued operations, net of taxes    --     (4,408,918)    --     (2,994,243)
                 
Net loss    $(5,026,475)    $(6,674,263)    $(9,313,646)    $(7,120,794)
Other comprehensive income (loss):                
Cumulative translation adjustment    42,236    4,978    61,845    (6,835)
Unrecognized gain (loss) on investments    10,631,731    4,042,797    8,063,460    3,521,349
Total other comprehensive loss:    10,673,967    4,047,775    8,125,305    3,514,514
                 
Comprehensive income (loss)    $5,647,492    $(2,626,488)    $(1,188,341)    $(3,606,280)
                 
Loss per share for continuing operations:                
 Basic    $(0.44)    $(0.29)    $(0.83)    $(0.54)
 Diluted    $(0.44)    $(0.29)    $(0.83)    $(0.54)
                 
Loss per share for discontinued operations:                
 Basic    $--     $(0.56)    $--     $(0.39)
 Diluted    $--     $(0.56)    $--     $(0.39)
                 
Net loss per share :                
 Basic    $(0.44)    $(0.85)    $(0.83)    $(0.93)
 Diluted    $(0.44)    $(0.85)    $(0.83)    $(0.93)
                 
Weighted average common shares outstanding:                
 Basic   11,531,497   7,829,314   11,286,712   7,660,974
 Diluted   11,531,497   7,829,314   11,286,712   7,660,974
                 


            

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